Dr. Robert Haydn Wilkinson Sr.
Memorial Service
On Saturday May 7th, 2005, Dr. Robert Haydn Wilkinson Sr. passed away at Brigham and Women’s hospital in Boston, of complications due to diabetes. He was 79 years old.
A scientist at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratories, in Cambridge, MA, for nearly 30 years, Bob published numerous papers and articles in the field of astronautical engineering. After retirement, he created his own business, A. Boffin Inc, offering technical services to high-tech engineering firms.
Bob was born and raised in England, UK before emigrating to the US. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering at the University of London in 1948, a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Syracuse University in 1960, and a Doctorate Degree in Astronautical Engineering at MIT in 1965.
Bob and his wife, Doreen, were actively involved in the MIT Hosts for International Students Program for many years, hosting international students coming to study at MIT from all corners of the globe.
A humanitarian, Bob was a steadfast supporter and defender of numerous charitable causes, most notably human rights, disability support, disease research and international humanitarian aid. Charitable donations, in Bob’s name, may be given to Amnesty International 5 Penn Plaza 14th Floor New York, NY 10001 ATTN: Kim Ruffin
Bob was married to Dr. Doreen H. Wilkinson, OD, for nearly 50 years. He lived with his family in Newton, MA for over 40 years, before moving to Brookline, MA. He is survived by his wife and four children, Michael, John, Kathleen and Rob, and four grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held from 3 - 4 PM at the MIT Chapel, 48 Massachusetts Avenue, (near Kresge Auditorium) on Saturday the 14th of May. A reception will be held next door to the chapel, immediately following the service, from 4 – 5:30 PM.
Directions to MIT and a map to the chapel can be found at the following web site:
http://whereis.mit.edu/map-jpg?mapterms=chapel